


Realizations

by Swim2520



Series: 2020 Ace/Nancy Fall Drabblefest [10]
Category: Nancy Drew (TV 2019)
Genre: 2020 Ace/Nancy Fall Drabblefest, F/M, Introspection, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26978698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swim2520/pseuds/Swim2520
Summary: Ace is on one of his smoke breaks when Nancy comes out and admits something to him.
Relationships: Ace/Nancy Drew
Series: 2020 Ace/Nancy Fall Drabblefest [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944706
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Realizations

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Ace realizes he’s in love with Nancy, but decides to keep it to himself.
> 
> Or we finally get to see Nancy’s admission about her college applications to Ace during one of his smoke breaks.

"Mind if I join you?” 

Ace looked over as Nancy Drew, one of the Claw’s newer hires, exited the back of the restaurant. He gestured over to one of the wooden crates that was perched across from the own that he sat on, choosing to remain silent. It was all part of Ace’s dishwashing zen vibes that he gave off. 

“Thanks Ace,” she said quietly. He responded by taking a drag from his cigarette. 

Most people seemed to be disarmed or unnerved by his silence, but Nancy did not seem to be one of those people. She was quiet too, really only speaking to customers. A new development from after her mother’s death. It was a drastic change to the happy, vibrant girl that often visited the Claw after school with her friends and boyfriend on occasion. Not that Ace really noticed. He had just heard one of the many arguments between she and George. 

The two of them sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the cooler temperature as night began to fall over the town. 

“You know, I never expected to still be in this crap town,” Nancy admitted after a few more minutes of silence. Ace wasn’t surprised. People usually started speaking to fill the silence around Ace, often spilling things that they didn’t normally share with other people. It also helped that Ace didn’t share things he learned with other people. 

“I was expecting to be at school right now.”

Ace remained silent but raised an eyebrow to show Nancy that he was listening to her. 

“And then my mom got sick. Things like grades and college applications seem a little less important when your mom is dying.”

Now, that was a surprising development. Ace knew that Nancy had been different since her mom passed, but he had always wondered why Nancy was working at the Claw during the summer where she should have been preparing to go off to college. Now, he understood. 

It was the most personal thing that any stranger (because he and Nancy knew each other, but they did not really know each other) had ever admitted to him. Nancy struck Ace as the kind of individual who did not trust easily, so it was odd to hear such a personal admission from her. 

Obviously, it meant that Nancy trusted Ace somehow. Or she needed to tell _someone_ and thought that he might forget because he was on a smoke break, which still showed a modicum of trust. Ace chose the former over the latter. It was touching to know that Nancy trusted him.

In that moment, Ace realized that he was in love with Nancy Drew. It might sound cheesy or seem confusing to other people, but it made perfect sense to Ace. 

Nancy Drew was an imperfect, flawed human being that trusted few people. Probably fewer since her mother passed away and all her friends left Horseshoe Bay. Yet, she trusted Ace enough to admit to him one of her deepest secrets. 

Relationships, in Ace’s opinion, were built on trust more so than anything else. He was lucky enough to come from a loving home and witness to his parents’ relationship, which was what every romantic dreamed of (and Ace, at his heart, was a romantic). 

“Thanks for listening, Ace,” Nancy said, getting up from her seat. 

Once again, he said nothing. He was still coming to terms with the realization that he loved Nancy. 

Ace stayed out there for another ten minutes, definitely pushing the limits as to how long his break could be before George came out to yell at him, before he put out his cigarette and wiped his hands on his jeans. He decided to keep his realization to himself. Nancy wasn’t ready for a relationship yet. She was still grieving and struggling to find her feet in her new reality. Not to mention, there wasn’t any trust between them.

For now, he was content with where he was with Nancy now: building trust. 


End file.
